OCTOBER PRESS RELEASE

OCTOBER 16, 2008

ON 10-16-2008, INVESTIGATORS WITH THE COVINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARRESTED BRITTNEY DIANE OWENS, 21, OF OPP, ALABAMA. OWENS HAD A CONSENSUAL SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A 15 YEAR OLD MALE OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS. OWENS IS CHARGED WITH SIX COUNTS OF RAPE 2ND DEGREE AND ONE COUNT OF SODOMY 2ND DEGREE. OWENS WAS PLACED IN THE COVINGTON COUNTY JAIL UNDER A TOTAL BOND OF $450,000.00 ON THOSE CHARGES. EACH CHARGE IS A CLASS B FELONY, PUNISHABLE BY NOT LESS THAN TWO NOR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS IMPRISONMENT AND A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN $30,000.00 FOR EACH OFFENSE. OWENS IS IN HER SECOND TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY. DURING THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT OWENS HAD SMOKED MARIJUANA RECENTLY. DURING BOOKING AT THE COUNTY JAIL, OWENS SUBMITTED TO A URINALYSIS AND TESTED POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA. OWENS ALSO FACES AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF CHEMICAL ENDANGERMENT OF A CHILD WHICH IS A CLASS C FELONY CHARGE PUNISHABLE BY NOT LESS THAN ONE YEAR NOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS IMPRISONMENT AND A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN $15,000.00. OWENS HAS A BOND ON THAT CHARGE OF $250,000.00. BRITTNEY DIANE OWENS FACES EIGHT FELONY CHARGES AND IS CURRENTLY HELD IN THE COVINGTON COUNTY JAIL UNDER A TOTAL BOND OF $700,000.00.

                                             BRITTENY DIANE OWENS

OCTOBER 16, 2008    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON OCTOBER 16, 2008, COVINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S INVESTIGATORS ARRESTED OLAN MICHAEL MCGEE, JR., 16, OF ANDALUSIA, AL. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE CRIMES, MCGEE HAS BEEN CHARGED AS AN ADULT. MCGEE IS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF ATTEMPTED RAPE 1ST DEGREE, ONE COUNT OF SEXUAL ABUSE 1ST DEGREE, AND ONE COUNT OF KIDNAPPING 1ST DEGREE. MCGEE WAS BOOKED INTO THE COVINGTON COUNTY JAIL AND HAS A TOTAL BOND OF $60,000.00. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM THE RED LEVEL AREA IN THE COUNTY OF AN ATTEMPTED RAPE. THE VICTIM IS A 19 YEAR OLD FEMALE AND AN ACQUAINTANCE OF MCGEE'S.

                                              OLAN MICHAEL MCGEE, JR.

OCTOBER 21, 2008         --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON OCTOBER 21, 2008, CASEY JEANETTE GARRETT, 18, OF ANDALUSIA WAS ARRESTED BY CCSO INVESTIGATOR GREG JACKSON FOR HINDERING PROSECUTION 1ST DEGREE, A CLASS C FELONY. THE CHARGE ARISES FROM AN INCIDENT FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY WHEN GARRETT ATTEMPTED TO FLEE FROM A DISTRICT ATTORNEY INVESTIGATOR AND DRUG TASK FORCE AGENTS. BRADY KIRKSEY, 23, OF MOBILE, PREVIOUSLY OF LOANGO, WAS WANTED FOR VIOLATION OF PROBATION AND FAILURE TO APPEAR ON SEVERAL CHARGES. GARRETT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN WHICH KIRKSEY WAS A PASSENGER. GARRETT KNOWINGLY ATTEMPTED TO FLEE FROM OFFICERS AND ASSIST KIRKSEY IN FLEEING FROM POLICE. THOSE UNITS WERE ASSISTED BY THE COVINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND ALABAMA PROBATION OFFICERS.

OCTOBER 31, 2008         --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON 10-31-2008, INVESTIGATORS WITH THE COVINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARRESTED FRITZ DAVID OTTO, 18, OF OPP AND SAMUEL BRETT BASS, 19, OF ANDALUSIA. ON 10-30-2008, CCSO DEPUTIES AND RED LEVEL POLICE CHIEF HOWARD WEST RESPONDED TO A BURGLAR ALARM AT THE RED LEVEL VFW. THE SUSPECTS WERE GONE UPON OFFICER ARRIVAL. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING WHERE THE SUSPECTS HAD GAINED ENTRY AND UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO DISABLE THE SECURITY SYSTEMS.

ON 10-31-2008, OPP POLICE MADE CONTACT WITH A SUSPECT IN THE BURGLARY, FRITZ DAVID OTTO. OTTO WAS ARRESTED BY OPP POLICE FOR A SEPARATE OFFENSE. INVESTIGATOR GREG JACKSON HAD CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH OTTO. WHEN CONFRONTED WITH VIDEO EVIDENCE, OTTO CONFESSED HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE VFW BURGLARY AS WELL AS OTHER BURGLARIES INCLUDING SEVERAL WITHIN THE CITY OF ANDALUSIA. CCSO INV JACKSON NOTIFIED ANDALUSIA DETECTIVES WHO WERE WORKING SIMILAR CASES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

THE RED LEVEL VFW HAD SUFFERED SEVERAL BREAK INS IN THE PAST AND HAS INVESTED IN A VIDEO SECURITY SYSTEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE VFW HAS MADE OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR OVERALL SECURITY. THE CCSO RECOMMENDS A VIDEO SECURITY SYSTEM TO ALL BUSINESSES IN THE COUNTY AS WELL AS AN ALARM SYSTEM THAT IS MONITORED AND NOTIFIES LAW ENFORCEMENT. RED LEVEL POLICE CHIEF SAID, "I GREATLY APPRECIATE, AS ALWAYS, THE ASSISTANCE OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. I ALSO APPLAUD THE VFW'S CHOICE TO INSTALL THE VIDEO SECURITY CAMERAS."

SAMUEL BRETT BASS IS CHARGED WITH BURGLARY 3RD DEGREE ($10,000.00 BOND), THEFT OF PROPERTY 2ND DEGREE ($10,000.00 BOND), CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1ST DEGREE ($10,000.00 BOND), AND VIOLATION OF PROBATION (NO BOND). FRITZ DAVID OTTO IS CHARGED WITH BURGLARY 3RD DEGREE ($10,000.00 BOND), THEFT OF PROPERTY 2ND DEGREE (10,000.00 BOND), CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1ST DEGREE ($10,000.00 BOND), AND VIOLATION OF PROBATION ($10,000.00 BOND). OTTO HAD BEEN ON PROBATION ON A PREVIOUS BURGLARY CONVICTION.

SHERIFF MEEKS SAID, "I AM GLAD WE COULD BRING THESE PARTICULAR CASES TO A QUICK RESOLUTION. VIDEO SURVEILLANCE AND ALARM SYSTEMS ARE GREAT TOOLS THAT BENEFIT NOT ONLY BUSINESSES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT BUT ALSO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE IN HELPING TO IDENTIFY AND DETER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO ASSIST AND COOPERATE WITH ALL LOCAL DEPARTMENTS TO SOLVE THESE CRIMES."

                                                           FRITZ DAVID OTTO

                                                         SAMUEL BRETT BASS